(Moscow) The director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, traveled to Russia on Wednesday for talks aimed at securing the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, which has been repeatedly targeted by shots.
Last week, the head of the IAEA visited the Zaporizhia power plant, controlled by Russian forces in southern Ukraine, calling for urgent measures to avoid a nuclear disaster.
“I have met with senior officials from several Russian agencies…I am continuing my efforts to protect the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant,” Grossi said Wednesday during a trip to Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave on the Baltic Sea. , between Poland and Lithuania.
“My recent visit to (Zaporijjia) confirmed the urgent need to achieve this essential goal, which is in everyone’s interest,” he added on Twitter.
For its part, the Russian nuclear giant Rosatom pointed out that its general manager, Alexei Likhachev, had given details to Mr. Grossi on “the measures taken by the Russian authorities to ensure the safety of operations” of the Zaporizhia power plant.
Russia is “ready to continue working on the implementation” of Grossi’s proposals, Rosatom added.
After months of fruitless exchanges, the idea of a demilitarized zone around the plant no longer seems to be relevant. During his last visit to Zaporizhia, Grossi said he wanted to find “realistic” measures.
He called in particular not to store weapons and heavy military equipment on the site, while being alarmed by the increase in military activity in this area located at the heart of the Russian offensive against Ukraine.
Strikes have repeatedly caused power cuts in Zaporizhia, raising fears of a shutdown of the plant’s cooling systems and a serious nuclear accident.